The Yankees utility players, Ronald
Torreyes (0.3 WAR), Tyler Wade (-0.1 WAR) and Neil Walker (-0.1 WAR) had a
combined WAR of .1 in 2018, and while they are all serviceable as utility
players or as players off the bench, this is an area where the Yankees could use
an upgrade in 2019.

Yankees offseason trade chips

The Yankees have several routes they could take over this offseason following a surprisingly successful season which saw the Yankees take the world champion Houston Astros to seven games in the ALCS. The Yankees could stay stagnant and keep the roster the same while allowing the young talent to continue developing and hope they’re enough to push for championship twenty eight, or, the Yankees could also opt to trade some of the current pieces to try and acquire pieces which better fit the roster and possibly take the Yankees over the hill from World Series hopefuls to World Series champions. Here are some of the pieces the Yankees could consider trading this offseason if they take that path:

Photo Credit: AP

Jacoby Ellsbury:

Since signing his contract with the Yankees, Ellsbury hasn’t been the same player as he was on the Red Sox where he finished 15th in MVP voting the year before joining New York. Last season, Ellsbury hit .264 with just seven home runs and 39 RBIs in 112 games. Ellsbury lost playing time over the season to Aaron Hicks who hit eight more homers and 13 more RBIs in 14 less games. Aaron Hicks is just one of multiple younger options who could replace Ellsbury, as Tyler Austin and Clint Frazier are both young and intriguing prospects who could fill in for him in the outfield. This combined with the fact that Ellsbury is due to be 35 this season and make a lucrative $21 million, the Yankees will likely explore the market for the declining veteran. Whether they find a suitor or not is a different story.

Chase Headley:

Headley’s 2017 season was a surprise, as he hit .273 which was a .20 increase from his .253 mark in 2016 and his highest average since 2012. Headley also racked up 140 hits with 61 RBIs to round out a pretty productive season for the former Padre. Although Headley’s production would indicate that the Yankees would keep him in hopes he can continue to produce for a championship team in the next few seasons, the Yankees may want to capitalize on his trade value now. This season was an outlier in Headley’s recent seasons and the Yankees may want to hand the third base position over to Ronald Torreyes who had a nice season, hitting .292 with 134 and 4 RBIs in his 315 ABs. Torreyes is only 25-years-old and even if the Yankees don’t see him as a permanent option, Miguel Andujar is another interesting young option at age 22, as well as Gleyber Torres or Tyler Wade. Headley’s $13 million contract isn’t nearly as large as Ellsbury’s, but it’s still a contract the Yankees may also want to move if they want to snag some future free agents, such as Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, and avoid too high of a payroll.

Photo Credit: AP

Starlin Castro:

Similar to Headley, Castro had a strong 2017 season in which he received his fourth all-star selection and hit .300 with 63 RBIs. Unfortunately though, Castro missed significant time throughout the season with injury as he played the lowest amount of games in a season for his career with just 112. This also hurt his hits, as he managed 133, the lowest mark of his career. Despite this though, he had a great season and was a major part of the Yankees run to the ALCS. Similar to Headley though, the Yankees may want to capitalize on his trade value now and use him to acquire more solid young pieces to possibly bolster the rotation and clear up room in the infield for prospects like Tyler Wade and Gleyber Torres. Losing Castro may hurt immediately, but if it allows one of the Yankees’ young guys to blossom into a superstar in his place, it’ll be worth it in the long run. Castro is only making $10 million next season, so he’s the least likely the one on this list to be moved when this is combined with his production over the last season, but don’t be surprised if a move is made with his very high trade value.The Yankees may also opt to trade a few bullpen pieces that do not have a clear role in 2017, such as, Jonathan Holder to clear up room on the 40-man roster for future acquisitions.

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The scene was set for the
young budding Bomber squad last fall after finishing their season a game away
from a World Series berth. They were the team that arrived a year too early,
and another deep playoff run would be the goal, but then an old friend threw a
wrench in those plans. Derek Jeter put gargantuan slugger Giancarlo Stanton on
the market, and Stanton dictated his transfer with a full no-trade clause. The
Giants and Cardinals among others threw their name into the ring, but who did
he choose? The Yankees and Dodgers, it seemed to be a battle of baseballs
powerhouses, but the Yankees had an advantage over their former neighbors,
payroll flexibility. They were able to use this into an absolute steal of the
reigning NL MVP, and the Yankees were thrust into a world series or bust year.
The season was historic, they set the season home run record without Gary
Sanchez, Didi Gregorius, Greg Bird, and Aaron Judge for most if not all of the
year, but it ended in a bust at the hands of…

The
speculation started during the regular season, even prior to his trade from the
Baltimore Orioles to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Where would Manny Machado go upon
his free agency at the end of the 2018 regular season? And, with that, which
teams would be knocking on his door? No
sooner did the Yankees’ regular season come to a close after their fated ending
in the American League Division Series, the talks of Machado coming to the
Bronx took off as though pushed by a speeding 4 Train behind Yankee Stadium. The
truth of the matter is that the rumors started even prior to Machado’s free
agency being on the horizon -- they started
at the trade deadline.

Yankee fans are left with more questions than answers following Clint Frazier’s injury riddled 2018. Frazier suffered through concussion symptoms throughout his 2018 campaign, which saw him appear in 69 games between the minors and the big leagues. Now, Yankees fans wonder what 2019 will hold for the 24 year-old.

Miguel Andujar’s 2018
arrival in the big leagues on April 1st had been much anticipated by Yankee
fans and we were rewarded with a Rookie of the Year performance by one of the
most exciting players in all of Major League Baseball.

Corey Kluber is the difference
maker and impact arm the Yankees need atop their rotation. In 2017 and
2018, Yankee fans wished ace-like status on Luis Severino, but his
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has been the definition of consistent for the Cleveland Indians, winning 18+
games four out of the last five years and winning 20 games in 2018 for the
first time in his career. Kluber has posted an ERA below 3.50 every season
since 2014, and has struck out at least 220 hitters in the same span. Kluber
keeps getting better, and is not showing any signs of regression. Kluber is an
ace, the ace the Yankees need.

There’s
no easy way to answer this question. Or, rather, there’s no one answer. The
surrounding factors change, creating different situations and, as such,
different fits -- both from a financial and from a team standpoint. A case can
be made to bring back either of these free agents, or both of them, or…
neither. But it’s almost impossible to make a blanket answer that fits in every
possible scenario.

It
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BBWAA even announced the nominees for American League Rookie of the Year.

First acquired in a relatively
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Flashback to July 3rd -
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above .500 and in possession of the third-best record in baseball. Everything
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I
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that’s great.